Reno, Nev. (May 23, 2013) – The Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame (ORMHOF) announced today the 2013 Class of Inductees. The late Larry Bergquist, Bob Chandler, Frank DeAngelo, Jerry Herbst and Bob “The Weatherman” Steinberger will have their names added to the venerable list of those who have committed their lives to the off-road community.

The five inductees’ extensive accomplishments cover a number of arenas in the sport including off-road racing, pioneers of the industry and for the first time: special achievement.

Their legacies will be celebrated and displayed for the public in Gallery Four within the famed National Automobile Museum – the Harrah Collection – located in Reno, Nev. They join names synonymous with the sport including Parnelli Jones, Malcolm Smith, Steve McQueen, James Garner, Walker Evans, Rod Hall as well as many others who have worked tirelessly behind the scenes making the sport prosper and grow.

Round 9 of the AMA/Kenda National Hare & Hound Championship Series will be hosted by AMA District 37′s So Cal MC on Sunday October 9th. With a 4-month break in the series, racers are gearing up for the last two rounds, both of which are taking place in the Johnson Valley OHV area of the Southern California desert. This weekend’s race will be located at East Anderson/Anderson Dry Lake (marked from Camp Rock Rd).

The upcoming Round 9 will be a 3-loop format, 100 miles total and is sure to be a favorite for all the racers who participate. So Cal MC is pulling out all the stops and have been scouting their loops for the past few months, which will consist of all the various terrain types that Johnson Valley has to offer. Loop 2 will have an alternate gas pit at race mile 40. The location is easily accessible and maps to this location will be provided at sign-ups. With some cooler weather to come this week, it is sure to be an awesome race weekend!

So Cal MC will also be hosting a kid’s race on Saturday Oct 8th at 3:00pm. Come on out and cheer on the kids – our future desert racers!

Leading the points in the Overall Pro Class is FMF/ KTM’s Kurt Caselli, who is currently in the lead by 28 points over 2nd place racer, Purvines Racing’s David Pearson, followed by Monster Energy/ Kawasaki’s Destry Abbott who follows Pearson by 13 points in the third place position. All of the racers who participate in this series are the best of the best and it will come down to the wire in many of the other recognized AMA National classes, including the “C” class racers who are now also recognized by the AMA. Current results can be found at www.AmericanMotorcyclist.com

Current leaders for all other National classes (from the AMA website):

Holeshot awards at Round 9! The first person to the end of the bomb run in each of these 3 classes will win a pair of Alpinestars Boots/Tech 8′s: Intermediate row, Novice Row, and ATV row.

Round 10 (final round) will be hosted by AMA District 37′s 100′s MC on Sunday October 23rd so mark your calendars!

Remember, all NHHA racers are eligible for Honda, Kawasaki, Husqvarna and KTM OEM contingency. Click on the Manufacturers bike you ride above for details or you can find all the details at: www.NationalHareandHound.com

PICKERINGTON, Ohio — A coalition of influential groups representing the interests of millions of off-highway vehicle (OHV) riders wants answers to key questions about the new federal Wild Lands policy, the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) reports.

In a letter dated March 16 to Bob Abbey, director of the federal Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the coalition asked numerous questions related to the Wild Lands policy, which could close millions of acres of federal land to responsible motorized recreation.

The coalition also stressed that there is strong grass-roots opposition to the new policy.

The coalition is made up of the AMA, the All-Terrain Vehicle Association, the Trails Preservation Alliance, the Colorado Off Highway Vehicle Coalition, the Utah Shared Access Alliance, AMA District 36 (Northern California, Northwestern Nevada), AMA District 37 Off-Road Division (Southern California) and the California Off-Road Vehicle Association.

On Dec. 22, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar signed Secretarial Order 3310 creating the Wild Lands land-use designation that essentially allows BLM officials to manage public land as if it had received a Wilderness designation from Congress, but without requiring congressional approval. This new policy is widely expected to restrict or eliminate responsible OHV use in the affected areas.

A Wilderness designation is one of the most restrictive forms of public land management. Once Congress designates an area as Wilderness, nearly all forms of non-pedestrian recreation are illegal. The AMA supports appropriate Wilderness designations that meet the criteria established by Congress in 1964, but anti-access advocates have been abusing the legislative process to ban responsible OHV recreation on public land.

“As associations that represent the interests of millions of responsible motorized recreation enthusiasts, we oppose the new Bureau of Land Management’s Wild Lands policy,” the coalition wrote. “We have questions concerning the definition of Wild Lands, designations, and implementation plans as they relate to motorized recreation within Secretarial Order 3310.

“Moreover, we seek to clarify indications that you believe there is no grass-roots opposition to this order,” the letter said. “We, the undersigned, believe this new designation may severely restrict the ability of our members to responsibly recreate on public lands managed by the BLM.”